Finding You Again
by Marz
Summary: Established KaiRei. Rei’s been poisoned and it’s unknown if he’ll pull through. Can love do what medicine can’t?
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Yet another Beyblade fic! The idea of this story actually came to me during my Music Theory class. I really tried to pay attention, but…the professor's voice is so quiet my mind just wandered. Thus this story! Unlike the things I've been posting, this isn't going to be a one-shot. I don't know how many chapters it's going to end up being, but it probably won't be very long. In any case, let me know what you think. Thanks and enjoy!

**Warnings: **Contains yaoi, meaning male/male relationships. Don't like, don't read. It's quite simple, really.

**Disclaimer: **Wish I could lay claim to the wonderful anime called Beyblade, but sadly I can't.

**Pairings:** Kai/Rei. What else would I write? Well, besides Tyson/Max.

**Summary:** Established Kai/Rei. Rei's been poisoned and it's unknown if he'll pull through. Can love do what medicine can't?

**Finding You Again**

Prologue

The sun rose slowly, biding its time until it was high enough to send its rays into the hotel room of two unsuspecting lovers. Once it reached its destination, it rejoiced in its sadistic morning ritual. It watched with glee as one of the boys was roused from his sleeping state, ruby eyes slowly blinking open. The sun was far too used to the glare the boy sent its way for it to be intimidated, so it moved its sights onto the second figure on the bed.

Watching the sun shift its rays to the person next to him, the ruby-eyed boy decided the sun had the right idea and follow suite. Rolling slightly to his right, Kai let a rare smile grace his face as he took in the sleeping form of, what he considered, the most beautiful being on the Earth.

He reached over with the arm that wasn't holding his precious person close to him to brush a lock of raven hair from closed eyes. Once that errant lock was tucked behind a pointed ear, Kai found his fingers trailing softly over the other's face, tracing the line of his jaw. After he had felt every inch of soft skin in that area, his hand moved to cup the side of the sleeping boy's cheek, his thumb gently running over slightly parted, rosy lips. Finding them irresistible, the ruby-eyed boy leaned down to brush his lips against his partner's. After a few moments, he was rewarded with his kiss being returned.

Rei was roused from his sleep by a feather-light touch. Having gotten used to his lover's morning displays of affection, he was easily woken by them. How could he miss a moment of Kai openly declaring his love, especially when he was so secret about it the rest of the time? He couldn't. The raven-haired boy waited for his wake-up kiss with his ever-growing love for the boy beside him. He could hardly contain his smile when he felt a pair of lips covering his own and eagerly returned it.

When Kai pulled away, Rei blinked his eyes open, revealing one of the captain's favorite features on his koi. He looked down at the golden-eyed boy beneath him whose lips were slowly forming into a sleepy smile.

"Hey," Kai whispered, again tracing the skin of Rei's cheek with his thumb.

"Hey," Rei whispered back, smile widening slightly. Leaning up a bit, he planted a quick kiss on the other's lips before going back into a lying position on the bed. From there, he arched his back and stretched, letting out a contented sound as he did so.

The bluenet watched in appreciation as his lover's body flexed beneath him. When he was done stretching the sleep out of his muscles, Kai swooped down for another kiss. Instead of the passionate kiss one might expect after a display of litheness, it was slow and sweet. Kai wanted to make sure Rei knew how much he loved him and poured all his emotions into that one gesture.

Rei had always been the best at reading Kai and interpreting his actions, so the intent was not lost on him; far from it. He knew Kai was kissing him the way that meant the most to the Neko-jin, the way that brought him the most pleasure. To let the other know he understood and he was loved just as strongly in return, Rei reciprocated the act, drawing a small gasp from his lover.

When they pulled back, they looked deep into each other's eyes, trying to convey everything that couldn't be put into words. The silent conversation was ended when Rei planted a chaste kiss on Kai's lips and sat up.

"I should go make breakfast."

In a rare gesture of childish petulance, Kai pouted. "Why? You do it every morning."

Rei laughed at his koi's antics. "I know I do. Would you rather Tyson come barging in here looking for me?" he asked, his eyes sparkling in amusement.

"He wouldn't dare. He knows I'd kill him."

An eyebrow raised. "This is Tyson we're talking about, not to mention it's before breakfast. His brain isn't exactly working."

"His brain isn't exactly working the rest of the time, either," Kai pointed out.

The tiger blader giggled and nodded. "True. In any case, I wouldn't put it past him. You'd better let me go before he—"

"Rei!"

"—starts yelling for me." The Neko-jin sighed and looked pointedly at the boy still holding his waist.

Kai echoed his sigh and released him from his protective hold. "All right. Go make your food," he said dejectedly, looking down at the bed.

Rei smiled patiently at him, loving the playful side of his lover he had never seen before they fell in love. Hoping to pacify him, Rei moved so he was straddling the captain and gave him an intense kiss, slowing to the kind they had shared just minutes ago. When they pulled apart, he looked deep into ruby eyes. "I love you."

Kai smiled and ran his hand through Rei's black hair, coming to rest on the side of his face. "I love you, too. Now go. Save Tyson from certain death."

"And what would that be?" Rei asked, getting to his feet.

"Me if he doesn't shut up."

The Neko-jin laughed, kissed his lover's forehead, and exited the room.

-


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I'm back with the next chapter. I hope this lives up to everyone's expectations. I want to thank everyone who's reviewed so far, they all meant a lot. Reviews make me a very happy person. Other than that, there's really not much else to say. So, thanks again to the reviewers and enjoy!

**Warnings: **Contains yaoi, meaning male/male relationships. Don't like, don't read. It's quite simple, really.

**Disclaimer: **Wish I could lay claim to the wonderful anime called Beyblade, but sadly I can't.

**Pairings:** Kai/Rei. What else would I write? Well, besides Tyson/Max.

**Summary:** Established Kai/Rei. Rei's been poisoned and it's unknown if he'll pull through. Can love do what medicine can't?

**Finding You Again**

Chapter One

Rei entered the kitchen of the suite they were staying in, smiling brightly as he made his way over to the refrigerator. He hummed to himself as he pulled out the food he was going to use to cook breakfast and put it on the counter next to the stove. Then he moved onto the cupboards, taking out the required utensils and such. Finally, he washed his hands in the sink and got to work.

Thinking that nothing could get him down off his own personal Cloud 9, he greeted Tyson with a cheerful smile and a chipper 'hello' as he came stumbling into the kitchen.

The other boy, however, did not seem to be faring so well. He immediately headed for the stool sitting next to the island in the kitchen, resting his head on his arms, grumbling to himself.

"You okay, Tyson?" Rei asked as he buttered a pan for the eggs.

"Bad dreams. Bad mood," was all he said.

"Nightmares?"

Tyson shook his head. "No, just not happy dreams."

The neko-jin spared him a sympathetic look. "Well, you can cheer up because I'm making you bacon."

The dragon blader managed a small smile at that. "Thanks, but I wish it were that simple. All my dreams had Kai in them." He shuddered.

Rei stifled a laugh. "He even making you train in your dreams?"

"Yes," was the disgruntled reply. He raised his head a bit so his voice wouldn't get muffled. "I mean, who does he think he is, making us train day in and day out? We deserve a break, ya know. I bet he doesn't even know what a vacation is. Every vacation we ever had he spent training!"

"He's our captain and he wants to make us the best team we can be, Tyson," Rei said reasonably, hoping to prevent one of Tyson's rants. Those never ended well, especially since he had fallen in love with the source of Tyson's ire.

"Well, he's not doing a very good job. Aren't teammates supposed to like each other? He hates us! He doesn't even make an effort to get to know us or anything! He just goes around, training and being antisocial. I hate it! And whenever he's in a bad mood he takes it out on us!"

Rei closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. "Tyson, that's not fair and you know it. Kai has his reasons for being the way he is. We shouldn't force him to do anything he's not ready to do on his own. He's never hated any of us. He may not have liked us at first, but he's always done what he could. And no one's perfect. Everyone has bad days and does things they regret. I'm afraid that if you continue on this rant of yours that I'm going just that."

Tyson either didn't hear the last part or ignored it as he openly stared at Rei. "Hasn't hated us! Where have you been, man? He's a total jackass! Not once have I seen him be caring toward someone else. I don't know if he can! He just doesn't have the capability. If he can't even care about someone, he _certainly_ can't lo—"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you, Tyson," Rei growled dangerously.

Blinking at Rei's sudden rage, Tyson finally realized what he had been saying and who he had been saying it to. "Rei, I—"

"Tyson, you may not understand Kai, but I do and that's what matters. There's one person on this planet who can understand him and that's more than he ever thought possible. Frankly, I don't care what you think about him as long as you keep it to yourself. Think whatever you want, but don't you ever, _ever_ question his feelings for me." Here he turned around and locked Tyson with his eyes, pupils turned to slits in his anger. "He is capable of things that you can only dream of. I don't ever want to hear something like that come out of your mouth again, especially not to me. Kai is the person I love more than anything else and I will not stand for anyone saying things like that about him. Now, I would appreciate it if you would get out of the kitchen and let me finish making breakfast."

Face now very white, Tyson nodded and stood, and quietly went back inside the room he shared with Max and Kenny.

As soon as Tyson was gone Rei exhaled, trying to get rid of the anger that was trying to overwhelm him. In his anger-induced haze, he failed to realize he had been clenching his fists so hard his nails had pierced his skin and blood was slowly running down his hand.

However, Max did as soon as he entered the kitchen area. "Rei?" he called softly, concern lacing his voice.

Thankfully, Max's innocent voice snapped him out of whatever funk he was in and his eyes went back to normal. He looked over his shoulder at the blonde. "Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

Rei managed a small smile. "Yeah, Max. Why?"

At this he looked a bit nervous. "Well, I didn't mean to—really!—but I heard your argument with Tyson. That and…you're hand's bleeding."

The neko-jin blinked and looked down at his right hand. "Oh. I hadn't realized…thanks, Max."

"Do you want me to bandage it for you?"

Max's innocent worry completely chased away the anger that had refused to leave his system and he gave him a real smile. "Please."

The tortoise blader smiled back, waited for Rei to turn off the stove, and then they walked to the bathroom attached to Max's room. Tyson was sitting on the bed with his back to the door, Dragoon clutched in his hand. He didn't even seem to notice the others' presence.

Rei closed the toilet lid and sat on that while Max got out some antibiotic ointment and bandages from the cabinet. He sat still while Max applied the ointment and carefully wrapped his palm.

"I'm sorry about what Tyson said to you, Rei," Max began quietly. "I don't know what gets into him sometimes."

"You don't have to apologize for him, Max. But thank you."

"I see more than Tyson does, I think. True, Kai's never been open with us, but I know he cares. After all, he goes and gets stuff for us when we're sick. He wouldn't do that if he didn't care, right?"

Rei smiled at him. "Yeah."

"I'm glad you two found each other. I don't pretend to know Kai at all, really, but he seems happier now that he has you. He seems less tense all the time. It's nice."

This time when Rei smiled it reached his eyes. "Thanks, Max."

"Welcome!" he chirped happily. "There, all done. Do you need any help with breakfast?"

The raven-haired teen stood and shook his head. "Nope. But you can hang out in the kitchen if you want to."

The blonde nodded happily and followed him out of the room, Tyson still oblivious to his surroundings.

-

Rei was back to humming to himself as he completed the breakfast he had started earlier, anger pushed to the back of his mind. Max sat at the stool Tyson had been at, kicking his feet and making his legs swing back and forth, looking like the quintessence of innocence.

That was the picture Kai came upon as he came out of his room after finishing his shower. Seeing that no one was around to notice, he allowed a small smile to form on his lips as he looked at his teammates. These were the times he cherished, making him forget all the times he got angry at them and wondered why he stayed. Moments where everything was quiet and peaceful where everyone looked like a family were why he stayed. Well, that and Rei.

He was about to enter the kitchen to alert the others of his presence when Tyson beat him to it and the atmosphere became tense. Kai looked on as Rei stopped humming and Max stopped kicking his feet, both looking at Tyson with guarded expressions. He wondered what had happened during the time he was showering that could have caused such turmoil in the group.

Tyson approached Rei, hands clasped nervously in front of him. "I'm sorry, Rei. I never should have said those things about Kai. You were right, I wasn't being fair and I'm sorry."

Kai felt a warmth spread throughout his chest at hearing Rei had been angered on his behalf. He looked to Rei, expecting to see instant forgiveness, but was surprised when the guarded look was still there. Whatever Tyson had said must have really upset him.

Rei looked at his teammate with an expression they had never seen on his face before. "Just because you might be having a bad morning, Tyson, doesn't give you the right to take it out on anyone else."

Tyson sunk his head further, eyes glued to the floor. "I'm sorry," he whispered brokenly.

Suddenly Rei smiled, convinced Tyson thought he was never going to be forgiven as tears started to form at the edges of his eyes. He stepped forward and embraced the dragon blader. "Apology accepted," he assured him quietly. He held him for a few more moments, then pulled back and wiped a stray tear from Tyson's face. "Have a seat. Max will you go get Kenny and Kai for me?"

Kai figured that was as good a cue as he was going to get and stepped forward into the kitchen. "No need."

Max hopped down from the stool. "I'll go get Kenny, then. Be right back! Don't eat all the bacon, Tyson!"

All Tyson managed was a weak smile, as he didn't think he was really forgiven yet. Rei saw this and quickly grabbed a smaller plate and filled it with the extra bacon he made. When he was done, he went over to Tyson and put it in front of him.

"Don't worry, Tyson. I made some extra for you," Rei said with a wink.

Tyson looked up at him and gave him a real smile, knowing everything was all right. "Thanks, Rei."

"No big. I knew it was your favorite breakfast food so I made some extra. That way we won't have to fight you for it."

"Ha ha."

Rei laughed quietly to himself as he set the table, first laying out plates and silverware, then the food. By the time Max came back with Kenny, he was setting out cups for drinks. The Chief greeted them all with a soft 'good morning' and took a seat next to Tyson.

He surprised Rei with his next words. "Are you all right, Rei?"

Rei blinked as all attention was brought onto him, including a very scrutinizing gaze that he recognized immediately. "Yeah, why?"

Kenny looked pointedly at his hand. "You have a bandage wrapped around your hand. What happened?"

Kai narrowed his eyes as he spotted the white cloth wrapped around his lover's palm, cursing himself for not noticing sooner. But Rei _did_ seem all right…

The neko-jin blushed and hid his hand behind his back. "It's all right, Chief. I just got a little careless, that's all. I…lost my grip. Don't worry, Max patched me up."

The blush on Rei's cheeks suddenly made its way onto Max's as he laughed nervously. "Uh…yeah…So, Rei, how are those drinks?"

XxXxXxX

After breakfast was done, Kai shooed Rei off to shower while the rest of them cleaned up their own messes, much to the Neko-jin's appreciation. Once the kitchen was as clean as it was before, Kai retired back to his room, giving the others a time limit of one hour before training started. Sitting on his bed with Dranzer in his hand, the bluenet tried to reason out what had gotten Rei so upset earlier. He knew it had had something to do with him, but that was the extent of his knowledge.

The captain was so lost in thought that he failed to notice the other boy finally exit the bathroom, nothing but a towel covering his body. The other occupant of the room crossed over to his own bed took out a travel bag from underneath it. Rei opened it to reveal multiple articles of clothing, of which he sorted through, finally choosing to wear his normal out fit. Thinking was becoming too much of a hassle…Perhaps that was why his hand caught on a stray piece of metal. Rei let out a soft curse as his already-injured hand caught on something sharp. He winced as his wounds re-opened and started to bleed again.

Hearing the rare curse from his lover, Kai was snapped out of his thoughts and by Rei's side in a flash. His eyes flashed in sympathy as he took in Rei's wince. Gently, he took Rei's hand in his own, frowning at the blood that was starting to pool in his palm.

"What happened?"

"It caught on some metal sticking out of my bag…"

Kai shook his head. "To cause it in the first place. What happened?"

Rei sighed. "Like I told Kenny, I was careless. I was angry and careless…"

Grabbing a tissue from the table beside the bed, Kai started to clean the redness from Rei's hand. As he did, he noticed the wounds were in the shape of nails. From there he was able to piece together what happened. "You need to trim your nails, love, if you're going to injure yourself with them."

As he always did, Rei blushed and smiled at the name. "They're a part of me, I can't just trim them. Besides, they've saved me before and I'm not about to rid myself of a good weapon. I just have to be more careful."

"Tyson got to you that much?"

Rei sighed again, smile fading as he looked down. "Yeah. It was the same things, over and over again. I don't think he realizes who he vents to. The whole thing was set off by his dreams last night. He said you made him train."

Kai snorted, smirking. "Good for me. Maybe he learned something."

"I hope so. I'm just sick of hearing him badmouth you, especially when he doesn't have a right to. He doesn't know you like I do."

The captain threw the now-reddened tissue away and stood, taking Rei into the bathroom. "Thank God for small miracles. Rei, I don't want anyone else to know me like you do."

"I know, but…just a little. Max understands. Sort of. I don't know what I'm trying to say."

Kai smiled and sat his lover down on the closed toilet seat, kissing his forehead. "I do. And thank you for defending me. It's nice. I've never had anyone do that before."

Rei beamed back at him. "I always will. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone."

Running his hand through Rei's hair and bringing it to rest against his cheek in his favorite motion, Kai leaned down and kissed him. "Me, too. Don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'll never find out. Now, are you going to bandage me up or let me turn anemic?"

Kai rolled his eyes and got out another bandage. As he was wrapping Rei's hand, a mischievous smile crept upon him. "Since I'm already playing doctor, why don't I just check to make sure you weren't careless with anything else?"

Cheeks instantly turning red, Rei squeaked as Kai's hand found its way to a very…private area. "Kai!"

XxXxXxX

Isn't he evil? I swear, Kai can't keep his hands to himself.

Anyway, there's the official first chapter. Let me know what you think. The next chapter will have some action—not of the sexual kind, however. I don't write lemons…I get embarrassed just thinking about it. The plot starts to actually happen in chapter two, so stay tuned. I don't know when I'll be able to finish writing it since school's been getting a little crazy, but I'll do what I can. Reviews help motivate, so keep that in mind. Thanks a bunch!


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Back again! I have to warn you, this chapter is kinda short. All right, more than "kinda." But I figured that you guys have waited long enough for me to get my act together that you deserve at least something. Something is better than nothing, right? As I said, the action starts here. However, since I haven't gotten a chance to work on it a lot, there isn't much. So far it's just the beginning of the action sequence. More will definitely be explained in the following chapter. Once I figure it out for myself.

**Warnings: **Contains yaoi, meaning male/male relationships. Don't like, don't read. It's quite simple, really.

**Disclaimer: **Wish I could lay claim to the wonderful anime called Beyblade, but sadly I can't.

**Pairings:** Kai/Rei. What else would I write? Well, besides Tyson/Max.

**Summary:** Established Kai/Rei. Rei's been poisoned and it's unknown if he'll pull through. Can love do what medicine can't? …Man, that is _such_ a crappy summary…it makes me cringe.

**Finding You Again**

"Did ya see that, Kai? What'd you think of that?" Tyson asked excitedly as he picked up his beyblade from the training dish.

"Of course I saw it, Tyson. I just beat you."

Tyson rolled his eyes while Max and Rei chuckled from the sidelines. "What'd you think of it?" he repeated exasperatedly.

Wordlessly, Kai summoned Dranzer back to his hand. He studied the blade for a moment before answering. "I've seen better. But I've also seen worse," he continued, cutting off Tyson's rude remark.

The dragon blader shut his mouth, a wide grin suddenly plastered on his face. "Oh yeah! I got a compliment from Kai! Who woulda thought?"

Max cheered along with him as they went back into the hotel while Rei went over to his captain. "Indeed. Who would've thought?" he asked teasingly.

"Maybe he'll have good dreams tonight," Kai replied, making Rei smile. "How's your hand?"

"Fine. It stopped hurting a few hours ago. What do you say we go out to eat tonight, huh? Celebrate Tyson's…doing better?"

The bluenet chuckled at his koi's attempt. "Hn."

Golden eyes widened and lit up at his consent. "Yeah!" he cheered. He was gone in a flash to tell the others, leaving a slightly stunned Kai touching his cheek that still tingled with the sensation of Rei's lips.

Kai shook his head at Rei's antics and followed him inside where he could hear even more cheers from his teammates--teammates that were beginning to really grow on him…even if he'd never really admit it.

XxXxXxX

Rei smiled in contentment as the team made their way back to the hotel. They had just eaten a wonderful meal, that none of them had to cook themselves, at the expense of Kai. They had all laughed and fooled around, even getting a smirk or two out of the stoic Russian. And instead of driving the other people at the restaurant to distraction, they brought life to the establishment, receiving an offer to return at any time.

The neko-jin looked around at the city they were walking in, taking in all the sights and people. Having grown up in such a small, remote village, it still got to him how big and populated cities could be. Not to mention how happy people looked, especially out with their significant others.

Looking at all the happy couples walking along the streets made Rei wish that Kai were more comfortable showing his affection in public. He knew Kai loved him, that wasn't the issue. He just wished he could show the world that he was with the person he loved and he had never been happier. At the same time, he knew Kai had his issues and would never force him into anything. So, he accepted whatever he could get and was content with that.

Unbeknownst to Rei, Kai had seen the look of longing on his face when the neko-jin was looking around. He knew Rei understood him like no one else and wouldn't dream of pressuring him, and it went both ways. He knew how much physical contact meant to Rei and wished he could be more open. He appreciated Rei all the more for being patient with him, not judging or getting angry at him, but it didn't make him feel any less guilty for not being able to give his love what he wanted. The point was driven home when Rei turned to him and gave him a beaming smile, happy to just be with him in whatever way possible. He wasn't sure if he could've done that.

After giving his lover a smile bright enough to chase away the night, Rei turned back to taking in the sights. He was just about to turn and point out something he found spectacular to Kai when he felt someone grab his hand. The only reason he didn't tense and attempt to get the unknown person off him was the fact that his heart recognized it before his head did. He turned to look at the boy walking next to him, who was holding his hand. He looked down just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, bringing his gaze back up a moment later to find himself looking into ruby eyes. Smiling like the sun again, Rei lifted their hands and kissed the back of Kai's briefly, so as not to make him more uncomfortable.

Kai looked down at the boy beside him who had yet to look away. He blushed at the action, but made no attempt to dislodge himself from the hold he initiated. "Yes?" he asked when Rei was still looking at him.

"Thank you," he said simply.

The bluenet blinked in confusion. "For what?"

"Everything."

Kai rolled his eyes. "Don't get mushy on me."

Rei just laughed, as the rough tone was totally offset by the intensified blush adorning his koi's cheeks. "Wouldn't dream of it. Should I stop calling you 'love' then?" Kai just growled. "Thought not," he said smugly.

Their conversation was interrupted when Tyson came back to join them, a pleading look already plastered on his face. "K-ai?" he drawled out.

Kai said nothing, annoyed that his time with Rei was interrupted.

"Can we go to the park before we go back to the hotel?"

Kai raised an eyebrow.

"Please, Kai? I heard you can see the stars and everything!" the dragon blader tried again.

At this Kai saw Rei's eyes light up. "Is that true, Tyson?" Rei asked enthusiastically.

Tyson nodded, turning excited eyes on the neko-jin. "Yeah! Kenny said so himself, so it's gotta be true, right? So, how about it, Kai? One more little stop before bed?"

The captain sighed, though he knew he had already made up his mind at Rei's expression. It probably reminded his lover of home… "Fine. But we're not staying long."

Tyson let out a whoop, alerting the others to his success, and ran back to them to deliver the message. Rei just smiled and was sure the night couldn't get any better. However, he was proven wrong when they reached the park. Tyson, Max, and Kenny went off in one direction while Kai and Rei went in another, though neither ventured too far.

The park was somewhat isolated from the rest of the city, so the lights were a lot dimmer, allowing the stars to shine. And though it wasn't like it was back in China, Rei appreciated it all the same, especially since Kai decided to drag him off somewhere where they could be alone.

Rei watched as Kai led them to a good-sized tree, then started to climb it. He was overjoyed that Kai really knew what would make him happy. He waited until Kai was situated to see what branch he'd pick to stop on, then jumped up, reaching it in two leaps.

Kai could only stare at the feline-like display, making Rei blush. Once Rei was on the branch with him, he sat so Rei was settled in between his legs, back resting on his chest. He allowed himself a smile when Rei moved as far back as he could manage and still be a separate being, leaning his forehead against the crook of his neck and shoulder and nuzzled him.

"This is perfect," Rei sighed, looking out through a little window in the foliage at the stars.

Kai hummed his agreement and pressed a kiss to the top of his lover's hair.

They sat in silence, neither needing words to express themselves. They were content to be together. Words would have somehow demeaned the atmosphere, taking away from the ethereal beauty of the night.

After a while, Rei pulled back to look into the eyes he'd spend forever looking into if he could. "I love you," he said, his voice barely even a whisper.

Ruby-colored eyes softened. "I love you, too, kitten."

The neko-jin laughed a bit at the nickname. "Only coming from you does that sound all right. I've been called that a lot, but I don't seem to mind when you say it."

Kai smirked. "Of course. It's coming from me," he said haughtily. "So can I beat up anyone else who calls you that?"

"Only if I'm feeling lazy."

At this Kai chuckled. "Kitten's gotta keep his claws sharp?"

Rei nodded and hid his face in Kai's chest, trying to stifle a yawn. "Wouldn't want me getting rusty, would you?"

"Anything but that. You tired?" Kai asked, running his hand through Rei's hair.

"Just a little."

Kai stilled his hand for a moment. "Do you want to go back?"

Much to the bluenet's surprise, Rei growled at him. "Stop and I'll bite you. And no, not yet."

The phoenix blader smiled and continued running his hands through Rei's silky mane. "Not too much longer, all right? We still have to train tomorrow. If we stay out too late it'll be impossible to get Tyson up in the morning."

"Mmm…"

"Rei?"

"Mmm?"

Kai sighed and smiled fondly down at the boy in his arms. "Just a little tired, huh? Let's get you back to the hotel."

This time he didn't even get a hum.

Just as Kai was about to attempt to climb down carrying Rei, the tiger blader sat up and looked around, eyes as sharp as if he hadn't almost been asleep moments ago.

"Rei? What is it?"

The neko-jin shook his head. "I'm not sure. Someone's…" he trailed off. "Stay here." With that he let himself fall off the branch and onto the ground.

Kai barely kept himself from crying out to his lover as he suddenly disappeared from view. Silently, he cursed the raven-haired boy and started climbing down, struggling to hear what was going on below him.

Rei landed in a crouch, his guard on high alert. Almost immediately he was tackled to the ground. He wrestled with his attacker for a few moments, then managed to kick free. He rolled to his feet and into a defensive position.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Rei demanded, beyond angry that his peaceful night had been broken.

"You." The one word was the only warning Rei got before he was tackled again. He landed hard on his back, the other person on top of him. Quickly, he rolled, trying to dislodge the person, who he had determined was a male. However, the boy stuck to him like a leech, so Rei had to resort to swiping at him with his claws. He managed to get his attacker across the chest and the face, blood now dripping from multiple lacerations.

Kai landed on the ground in time to see his lover injure the other boy with the claws he had suggested Rei cut just that morning. He saw, now, that wasn't an option. "What the hell is going on here?" he demanded, moving to stand beside the furious neko-jin.

"I don't know," Rei replied, voice rough with anger. "But it had better be explained. Now."

-

I'm sorry it's so short and has such a crappy ending! _--Wants to hide in a corner--_ I had to think of somewhere for the thing to end so I could give you guys something. I have a week off coming up, but I'm not sure how much I'll be able to write. Having three papers to do really sucks…Because since it's vacation we all have lots of free time, right? Grr on teachers. Will someone tell them that students have lives!

Anyway…I'm done ranting for now. I hope that you'll stick out the badness. I want to give a big thanks to everyone who reviewed. Thank you so much! Reviews make me a very happy person. Thanks again!


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I'm back! Please don't hate me! I'm pretty sure I warned you all that I wasn't good at updating. And if I haven't, consider yourself warned. However, hopefully it'll get better now that I've figured out my main problem. I hope this chapter doesn't suck like the last one did. I'm not very good at writing action, but I gave it a shot, anyway. Just as a warning, there's gonna be another cliff-hanger at the end. Anyway, sorry for the delay. Just today I figured out the missing link and was able to write this chapter. Again, it's not one of my longer ones, but it's something. Hope you're not disappointed.

**Warnings: **Contains yaoi, meaning male/male relationships. Don't like, don't read. It's quite simple, really.

**Disclaimer: **Wish I could lay claim to the wonderful anime called Beyblade, but sadly I can't. The bad guy, however, is mine. Feel free to borrow if you wish.

**Pairings:** Kai/Rei. What else would I write? Well, besides Tyson/Max.

**Summary:** Established Kai/Rei. Rei's been poisoned and it's unknown if he'll pull through. Can love do what medicine can't? …Man, that is _such_ a crappy summary…it makes me cringe.

**Finding You Again**

"Don't tell me you've forgotten me already, Rei," the other boy taunted, managing to still sound mocking even though his face and chest were covered in blood. "It wasn't that long ago since we last met."

Kai looked from his lover to the other boy. "You know him, Rei?"

Rei began to shake his head, but stopped as he finally recognized his opponent. "Jeremiah?"

"So you _do_ remember me. I'm touched."

"What are you doing here? Why did you attack me?"

"I haven't been able to get you out of my head, Rei. Ever since we battled you've been all I've been able to think about. I haven't been able to concentrate on anything else!" he cried in frustration. "Every morning I'd wake up and wonder if you were already awake. When I got dressed I'd wonder what you were wearing. When I ate breakfast I'd wonder what you were having or if you'd eaten at all. And when I trained I kept seeing your face everywhere, heard your voice. I kept seeing your face wherever I looked and I knew I had to see you again."

Rei took a step backward, away from the boy in front of him. "So you came here and attacked me?"

"I came here because I've fallen in love with you, Rei!"

The neko-jin blinked and took another step back. "Jeremiah…"

"I love you, Rei! But I see you're with _him_," he spat the word like venom on his tongue. "He doesn't deserve you, Rei. You're much too good for him. Come with me. I can make you happier than he ever could!"

"What is with people saying that to me today?" Rei muttered to himself. "Look, Jeremiah, I'm flattered that you feel so strongly for me, but you're right. I'm with Kai. I love him and I won't leave him. I'm sorry."

Even in the darkness Rei could see Jeremiah's expression change. "You love him? You won't leave him?"

The raven-haired blader took yet another step back, getting nervous. "Yes, I love him. No, I won't leave him."

"You're not going to change your mind?"

"No, I'm sorry."

Kai placed himself between his lover and Jeremiah, watching the other boy transform from pleading for love to burning with jealousy.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry, Rei. Because if I can't have you, then nobody will! Viporeon, attack!"

Rei gasped as Kai sprung into action and pushed him to the ground, a beyblade soaring above their heads. As soon as the blade landed there was a green light, which quickly formed into a snake. The snake only took a moment to locate its target, then struck. Kai and Rei both rolled in opposite directions, the snake coming down in between them. The two bladers rolled to their feet and reached for their own blades. However, only one was found.

Kai cursed when he realized he had left Dranzer back at the hotel. How could he have been so careless! He knew he couldn't help in this battle and hoped that his lover could take Jeremiah down without his help.

Rei swallowed hard when he realized Kai didn't have his blade. Looks like it was just him and Jeremiah this time. Dodging to the side again to avoid getting bitten, Rei set Drigger on his launcher, then let it rip. Knowing his master was in immediate danger, the tiger wasted no time in coming out, not needing to be called. He roared ferociously and leapt at the serpent.

"Drigger, be careful! Don't let it bite you!" Rei cried.

The tiger nodded and leapt again, only to dodge right to avoid the fangs.

Movement in the shadows caught Kai's attention as he noticed Jeremiah sneaking up on his lover. He moved to intercept the attack, not wanting Rei's attention to be taken away from the bey battle he was engaged in. Seeing Jeremiah getting ready to attack, Kai tackled him to the ground.

"Don't even think about it," he growled, pinning him to the ground.

Rei gasped as he felt more than heard the commotion behind him. He turned to see Kai holding Jeremiah down, rendering him helpless. A roar from Drigger drew his attention back to the battle.

"Drigger, Tiger Claw Attack!" he cried.

The tiger roared and charged Viporoen, his claws glinting in the moonlight. He swiped at him, but the other was able to dodge the attack, throwing off his balance. Jeremiah saw this and decided to use it to his advantage.

"Drigger!" Rei exclaimed in dismay.

"Viporeon, do it!"

Rei looked up, expecting to see the serpent go for his bit beast. He was surprised when he saw the serpent heading straight for him. He tried to jump out of the way, but knew he didn't have time. He braced himself for the impact, but couldn't brace himself for the pain he felt when Viporeon's fangs imbedded themselves in his shoulder.

The neko-jin cried out in pain as his shoulder was punctured, feeling the venom being pumped into his system. He tried to pry himself away, but Viporeon had wrapped himself around the rest of his body, preventing him from escaping.

Kai felt his whole world stop when he heard Rei cry out. He whipped his head around and immediately knew that what he saw was going to haunt his dreams for a very long time. "Rei!" he cried desperately.

He watched helplessly as his lover writhed in pain, tears gathering at the corner of his golden eyes. Finally, what seemed an eternity later, Viporeon slowly released his hold on Rei's body and uncoiled. After that, he slid his fangs from his body, as well. As soon as the support was gone, Rei slumped to the ground, unmoving.

Kai's eyes were wide in horror. "Rei…"

Sudden laughter ripped him from his horror-induced trance. He turned to look at the boy beneath him, hatred shining brightly in his eyes. He felt more hate toward this one boy then he ever felt toward anyone. Including Voltaire and Boris. He had hurt his lover.

"That's it. He's done," Jeremiah said gleefully.

"What do you mean by that?" Kai growled.

"I mean that Viporeon pumped him so full of venom that there's no way he'll survive it. I meant that no one else would have him. He'll be dead in twenty four hours."

Kai's heart stopped. "What did you just say?"

"I said—"

"Is there an antidote?" Kai demanded.

Jeremiah smiled smugly up at him. "No."

Without another word, Kai punched the boy beneath him as hard as he could, knocking him out cold. Immediately, he ran over to Rei's side, taking him in his arms.

"Rei? Rei, can you hear me? Open your eyes. C'mon. Rei, come on!" He smoothed back a lock of hair that had fallen into Rei's face. "Rei, please…"

After a few moments, Rei's eyes fluttered slightly before slowly blinking open. "Kai?"

The bluenet let out a breath. "Yeah, it's me."

"What…?"

"Shh. Don't talk, all right? I'm gonna take you back to the hotel."

Rei nodded, instantly regretting it. He groaned slightly and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Rei? Are you all right? What is it?"

"Really dizzy, that's all. And my body feels really heavy, too. I can barely even move my head."

Kai leaned down a briefly kissed his forehead. "Then don't try. I'll carry you, you're not that heavy."

"I should hope not," Rei said light, trying to keep the mood light, knowing something was very wrong but not sure what.

"Hush, love. Save your strength, all right? You're going to need it."

In response, Rei just rested his head against Kai's chest as he was lifted into strong arms and cradled. Kai held him as if he were the most important thing in the world. He was content to just be held and stay silent, but suddenly everything felt very wrong. Suddenly his body felt like it was on fire and it was getting hard to breathe. His head started to pound as he started to gasp for breath.

"Kai…"

Immediately Kai stopped walking and looked at the boy in his arms. "Rei, what is it? What's wrong?"

Rei shook his head. "I…don't know. Can't…breathe…Body's on…fire." In a brief moment of clarity, he raised his hand to rest on Kai's cheek. "I love you." He gave Kai one last loving smile, then fell limp in his arms.

Kai looked on in horror as Rei suddenly went limp, his head lolled against his chest. "Rei? Rei!" Tears started to gather in his eyes. "Don't do this to me, Rei. Come on. Rei, wake up! Rei, please…don't do this to me. I need you. Love, please, please open your eyes. Rei…" Kai didn't notice the tears that started to roll down his cheeks as he looked at his unconscious lover.

He didn't know how long he stood there in shock, but it was enough time for Tyson, Max, and Kenny to find him. He was shaken out of his daze by Tyson grabbing his shoulder.

"Kai! Come on, man, snap out of it. Kai!"

Kai blinked and refocused his eyes on the dragon blader. "Tyson…"

"Kai, what happened? We saw some lights that we thought came from bit beasts. One of them looked like Drigger."

"One was Drigger. The other was Jeremiah's." He gestured with his head behind them where the boy still lay. "I'll explain later. Kenny, call Mr. Dickenson and have Jeremiah picked up. I need to get Rei back to the hotel."

"Kai…"

Kai locked Tyson with cold eyes. "I'll explain everything later. Let's go."

The three other bladders looked at each other fearfully as Kai started walking ahead of them. Something bad had happened. To have shaken up Kai that badly, they knew it had to be something disastrous. All they knew it had something to do with Rei, and that blader was unconscious. All they could do was pray that everything would turn out all right.

-

And there you have it. Hope I didn't disappoint anybody. I'm just happy I was able to write anything after so long. As you might have guessed, this is where the angst starts. We had the fluff, now onto the angst, even though I'm not a huge fan. Sometimes it's needed.

Anyway, tell me what you think. Thanks!


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hey, there. Been a while, huh? Sorry about that. Once I finished the last chapter I wasn't entirely sure where I wanted to go, hence the wait. I finally figured it out, though. You all owe this chapter to HellX (I believe) for reminding me that I needed to write it. I never forgot about it, really, I suppose I just needed to be prodded into thinking harder about what I wanted to do. So, thank you for that! I'll try to be better about buckling down and writing. Anyway, thank you to everyone who's stuck with me so far, even with the terrible update times. This chapter is for all of you, with a special thanks to HellX. Much love!

**Warnings: **Contains yaoi, meaning male/male relationships. Don't like, don't read. It's quite simple, really.

**Disclaimer: **Wish I could lay claim to the wonderful anime called Beyblade, but sadly I can't. The bad guy, however, is mine. Feel free to borrow if you wish.

**Pairings:** Kai/Rei. What else would I write? Well, besides Tyson/Max.

**Summary:** Established Kai/Rei. Rei's been poisoned and it's unknown if he'll pull through. Can love do what medicine can't? …Man, that is _such_ a crappy summary…it makes me cringe.

**Finding You again**

Chapter Four

Rei hadn't even flinched during the time it took Kai to get him back to the hotel. His countenance was frighteningly pale and he was completely unresponsive. Kai was fearing for the worst by the time the doctor and Mr. Dickenson arrived. They came bursting in the bedroom where Rei was residing.

"What happened?" the doctor demanded, shrugging out of his jacket. He immediately started taking instruments out of his travel bag.

"We were attacked in the park by another blader. Rei was bitten by his bitbeast. He's been unconscious for about twenty minutes and he's developed a fever of one hundred two. Before he passed out he said his body felt like it was on fire and it was hard for him to breathe."

The doctor nodded his thanks to Kai and started examining the neko-jin. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you'll both have to leave. I'll come get you when I'm done examining him."

Kai went to protest, but Mr. Dickenson's hand on his shoulder stopped him. Letting out a breath, he lowered his head and allowed himself to be led out of the room. Instead of taking up his customary place leaning against the nearest wall, he decided to claim the recliner for his own.

"Kai, tell us everything that happened," Mr. Dickenson requested.

The bluenet sighed. "I already told you what happened."

"Details, Kai."

"Rei and I were sitting up in a tree when Rei must have sensed something was off. He jumped down and was immediately attacked. When I reached the ground, Rei had managed to wound Jeremiah with his nails. Jeremiah basically became obsessed with Rei ever since they battled and didn't like the fact that he's dating me. He decided that if he couldn't have Rei then no one would and attacked with his bitbeast, Viporeon. He managed to get by Drigger and bite Rei in the shoulder. He spent a good few minutes pumping him full of venom," he added bitterly. "Jeremiah said that Rei will be dead in twenty-four hours. No antidote."

The others were silent while they digested the new information. Kai watched them as it sunk in that they might lose a friend. Max's eyes filled with tears instantly and he turned to bury his head in Tyson's chest. Tyson wrapped him in his embrace, eyes also wet with tears. Kenny just bowed his head, his face hidden from view by his bangs.

"I'm sure there's something the doctor can do," Mr. Dickenson said softly. "We can't give up yet, boys. Rei won't give up on us, so we can't give up on him."

"You're right, Mr. D. This is just something that the Bladebreakers will have to overcome, that's all," Tyson spoke up. "We can beat this."

Max pulled back and looked up at the BBA chairman. "Is there anything we can do in the meantime, Mr. Dickenson?"

The older man smiled down at him. "I don't think so, Max. Just rest and be strong. We just have to wait to see what the doctor says."

Max nodded and returned to Tyson's embrace. The waiting game was the hardest game of all.

-

"I'm sorry, guys. Jeremiah wasn't lying when he said there wasn't an antidote," Dizzy said from her place on the table in the middle of the 'living room' of the suite. "Or about Rei only have twenty-four hours."

"Can't we make an antidote?"

Kenny looked at Tyson with saddened eyes. "We don't have the time, not to mention the resources. We'd need…a week at best, and that's with the proper equipment and Viporeon's venom to work with. I don't know how we're gonna beat this."

Max said nothing, just curled in on himself a little more with a small whimper. Tyson was the only one who heard it and immediately sat back down from where he was pacing. Gently, he placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Max?"

Sniffling, he raised his head and looked pleadingly at his teammate. "I don't want Rei to die, Tyson. He's my big brother. I don't want to lose him."

Tyson quickly gathered him in his arms again as Max dissolved into tears. "I know, Maxie," he whispered soothingly. "I don't wanna lose him either. But this time I don't know what to do. The doctor said that he seems to be in some sort of coma, but he doesn't know what it's from and Rei doesn't show any signs of waking up."

"Dizzy and I will keep looking for something," Kenny said after a few moments of silence. "Why don't you go rest for a while?" He looked pointedly at Max.

Tyson nodded as he caught the look. "Come on, Max. Let's go lie down for a while. Kenny will come get us if he finds anything and Kai will let us know if anything changes. There's nothing we can do right now except rest and be strong like Mr. Dickenson said."

Max nodded and pulled slowly out of Tyson's arms, resisting the urge to crawl right back. Instead, he stood and walked back to the room he shared with the dragon blader. Once he was inside, he stood there, not knowing what to do. Distantly he heard Tyson shut the door behind him.

"Max?" Tyson looked at his friend, wondering why he hadn't moved. "Max, you okay?" Carefully, he placed a hand on Max's shoulder to get his attention. It seemed to work, as Max suddenly blinked and turned around. "Maxie?"

Looking at Tyson's concern, Max felt his eyes well with tears. "Tyson, I'm scared," he whispered. "I've never been scared like this before and I don't know what to do. Even when Mom moved and I was scared I'd never see her again, it wasn't like this. Rei's gonna die and…" Max paused and looked at Tyson with wide eyes. "Rei's gonna die!" he exclaimed with a sob. "Oh, God, Tyson! Rei's gonna die and I'll never see him again! I'll never blade with him again, he'll never cook us breakfast a-and cook you extra bacon because he knows it's your favorite…he'll never tease Kai…Kai! Tyson, we have to go see Kai! He's all alone in there! We have to see if he's all right!"

Tyson felt his heart break a little more at each panicked look his best friend gave him. It took him a moment to realize that Max had never lost anyone he loved before. This is the first time he's ever felt that kind of pain. Finally, he took Max in his arms again when he started talking about Kai. Even when he was hurt and panicking, he still managed to think about others.

"Max, it's okay! Kai will be fine. He probably wouldn't appreciate it if we intruded on him. I think he might like to be alone with Rei for a little while." With a little difficulty, he guided Max over to the bed and sat them both down. Tyson situated himself so he was leaning against the headboard so he could better support Max as the blonde buried his face in his chest again, trying to calm his breathing. "Look, even if the worst does happen and Rei…and we lose Rei, we'll get through it, okay? It'll be the hardest thing we've ever done but we'll still be together, we'll still be a team. And we'll be there for Kai, too. But right now we can't give up on him. Part of being a team is being able to trust your teammates. We have to trust that Rei's fighting his hardest to come back to us. We have to believe that he will."

By the time Tyson was done talking, Max had calmed down. His breathing was back to normal, he stopped shaking, and his tears were almost gone. After a few minutes he nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry."

The other boy blinked down at him. "For what?"

"For freaking out. That couldn't have been pretty." He chuckled lightly. "Guess I'm not too good in a crisis, huh?"

"That's not true. You've never lost anyone like this, have you?" Max shook his head. "So this is your first time really facing death. It's okay. Besides, even though you were panicking, you still thought of Kai. Even though you were scared and hurting you were still thinking of others."

Max smiled and snuggled deeper into Tyson's arms. "Thanks, Tyson." He was going to say something more, but got cut off by a yawn. "'m tired."

The bluenet smiled down at him. "Then go to sleep. I'll wake you up if anything changes."

"Mm'kay."

-

Rei opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness. He did open his eyes, didn't he? He reached up to his face and winced. _Ow…yup, eyes are open. But where the hell am I and how'd I get here. The last thing I remember was…_ His eyes widened. _Kai! He didn't get hurt, did he? Jeremiah better not have hurt him._

A moment later he scoffed at himself as the rest of the night came back to him. _Kai didn't get hurt, I did. Of course Kai was fine. Kai's always fine._ As hard as he tried to make it sound resentful, he just sounded relieved. _But I bet he's worried sick about me, wondering where I am. Hell, _I'm_ wondering where I am!_ He shivered as he started to feel all the warmth start to slowly drain out of him. _Great. Dark _and_ cold, just what I need._ Looking around him, he tried to call on his neko-jin blood for his normally outstanding night-vision, but it didn't seem to help this time. He could feel his eyes shift from the effort he was putting into trying to see, but the darkness didn't change at all and he kept getting colder. Wherever he was, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, so he decided to sit down and conserve what warmth he had left, hoping Kai would find him and bring him home.

_Kai, where are you?_

- - -

There it is. I know it's not my longest, but I promise to get right to work on the next chapter. If you feel the need, feel free to take a page from HellX's book and poke me. As you can see, reminders to help. Plus it makes me feel good to know that people are looking forward to my stuff. Thanks a bunch!


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